Hair clipper



1942- I J. SUOZZl 2, 7

HAIR CLIPPER Filed Feb. 25, 1940 Patented Aug. 4, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIR CLIPPER Joseph Suozzi, New York, N. Y.

Application February 23, 1940, Serial No. 320,261

6 Claims.

My invention relates to a clipper for cutting the human hair and particularly to that type of clipper in which a rotary cutter, as distinguished from the reciprocating cutter ordinarily used in such clippers, makes the required shearing contact with a stationary blade for the cutting operation.

It is an object of my invention to provide a clipper with which the hair can be cut, not only on the sides of the face and at the back of the neck, but on the top of the head as well, thus eliminating the necessity of using scissors.

In my Patent No 2,184,981 issued to me on December 26, 1939, I have described a power driven clipper adapted for this purpose. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a clipper which can be operated by hand.

The nature of my invention and the manner in which it operates will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved device with certain parts broken away to show more clearly its construction and operation.

Figure 2 is a view of one side of my device.

Figure 3 is a view of the opposite side.

My improved clipper comprises the conventional handles I and 2, regulating spring 3 for checking the outward movement of the operating handle 2, and comb member I provided with teeth 5. The comb member 4 may b removably mounted on the forwardly extending arm 6 and I of a frame 8 carrying the operative mechanism of my clipper.

The comb member 4 may be fashioned from a single piece of metal bent back upon itself to a U-shape in the recess 9 of which is firmly but removably held a blade ID. This blade In at the edge opposite its cutting edge is of such thickness as to fit securely into the recess 9, and then gradually becomes thinner towards the cutting edge. Once fitted in position within the recess, the blade will remain in place without the necessity of using any fastenin means until it is desired to remove it for sharpening, cleaning or for some other reason.

Journaled in bearings II, I mounted in the arms 6 and I is a shaft I2 on which is mounted the rotary cutter element I3. This may consist of a plurality of blades of the lawn mower type, as shown in my aforesaid Patent No, 2,184,981, or may consist of a metal rod having therein the spiral grooves I4. The edges l5 bounding the grooves may be sharpened to form cutting edges.

It will be obvious that the cutter is so positioned on the frame that the sharpened edges I5 or the mower blades as the case may be) will, when the element I3 is caused to rotate in a manner to be presently described, make shearing contact with blade I0 and cut the hair of the person as it is gathered up between the teeth 5 of the comb member 4.

The operating handle 2 may terminate at its inner end in the forks I6, I6 which may be provided with the slots I! in which rides loosely the pin I8 carried on the end of the plunger element l9. This element may be threaded as at 20 and is adapted, when the handle 2 is operated, to slide back and forth transversely of the clipper (that is, in a direction parallel to the rotary cutter and the cutter shaft) within a hollow housing 2|. A pin 22 on the inner wall of the housing 2| bears in the groove 20 of the plunger and rides therein as the plunger moves forward or back, thus causing the housing 2| to rotate as will be presently more fully described. Journaled in bearing 23 in the arm 1 and extending into the housing 2| is a shaft 24 carrying the gear 25 which is in mesh with gear 26 on the shaft |2.

Embracing the arms 6 and I is a pair of forwardly extending arms 2'1, 21 which are adapted to rest upon the head of the person as the clipper is used. These forwardly extending arms are preferably mounted on the transverse shaft 28 and may be conveniently shaped so that they will slide easily over the head and so that the clipper may be held in any convenient position for efiiciently cutting the hair on any part of the head. The shape or form of these arms is optional. They may, for example, be as illustrated at 21 in the drawing but I do not wish to confine myself to any particular construction, as any such arm which one skilled in the art might design, which would accomplish my purpose, would be within the scope of my invention.

Pivoted on the shaft 28 I may provide a lever 30, at the opposite end of which is the adjustable screw 3| which extends through the handle I, terminating in the nut 32.

The operation of my device is as follows: As the handle 2 is pushed inwardly from th position shown in the dotted lines to the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, the plunger I9 is forced into and through the housing 2|. The pin 22 on the inner wall of the housing 2| and bearing in the spiral groove 20 in the plunger I9, necessarily follows the contour of the groove as the plunger I9 is forced through the housing, and in doing so, forces the housing to rotate around the plunger. Thereby are also rotated the shaft 24, gears 25 and 26 and cutter element l3, the sharpened edges l5 of which mak the shearing contact with the blade IE! to perform the cutting operation. For regulating the amount of hair to be cut the barber simply raises or lowers the arm 21 toward Or away from the arms 6 and I by turning the screw 32 one way or the other.

For a very close out it will be ObViOlls that the arms will be in the extreme upper position. The further away the arms are moved from the arms 6 and 1, the less will be the amount of hair cut. The length and style of the out may also be regulated by the position in which the clipper is held, as it obviously may be held in any desired position.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described in detail in order to illustrate the principles and advantages of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention may have various embodiments within the limits of the prior art and the scop of the subjoined claims. For example, while I have described the cutter member i3 as mounted on a shaft [2, the cutter member could if desired be made with integral end portions of greatly reduced diameter, and these reduced end portions could be mounted in the bearings H as described. Also the shaft 24 could be made integral with th housing 2! if desired. Again, instead of providing the screw threads on the plunger i9 and th pin 22 on the inner wall of the housing 2| th latter might be threaded and the pin provided on the plunger, but this construction would be much more difficult to manufacture. Other variations will occur to the skilled mechanic, but will still come within the scope of the claims.

The speed of rotation of the cutter element [3 may be increased by increasing the ratio between the diameter of the gear 26 and that of the gear 25.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a manually operated clipper having a stationary handle and a movable operating handle and of the type in which a plurality of shaftmounted rotary blades make contact with a stationary blade to perform the cutting operation,

means for driving the rotary blades comprising a shaft carrying the rotary blades, a second shaft disposed parallel to the first and carrying a hollow housing, a gear mounted on each of said shafts, said gears being in mesh with each other, means attached to the operating handle of the clipper and adapted, as said handle is operated, to be forced to reciprocate within said hollow housing, and means on the inner surface of said hollow housing to cause it to rotate when the reciprocating means operates.

2. In a manually operated clipper of the type in which a plurality of shaft-mounted rotary blades make contact with a stationary blade to perform the cutting operation, means for driving the rotary blades comprising a shaft carrying said rotary blades, a gear on said shaft, a second shaft disposed parallel to the first named shaft, a gear on said shaft in mesh with the first named gear, and manually operatable means c0- operating with said second named shaft for rotating said blades through said gears.

3. In a manually operated clipper 0f the type in which a plurality of shaft-mounted rotary blades make contact with a stationary blade to perform the cutting operation, means for driving the rotary blades comprising a shaft carrying said rotary blades, a gear on said shaft, a second shaft disposed parallel to the first named shaft and carrying a gear in mesh with the gear on the first named shaft, a hollow housing on said parallelly disposed shaft, and means operating within said housing for causing said housing to rotate, and through said gears to rotate said blades.

4. In a manually operated clipper of th type in which a plurality of shaft-mounted rotary blades make contact with a stationary blade to perform the cutting operation, means for driving the rotar blades comprising a shaft carrying said rotary blades, a gear on said shaft, a second shaft mounted parallel to the first named shaft and carrying a gear in mesh with the gear on the first named shaft, a hollow housing on said second named shaft, and mean reciprocating within said housing, cooperating with means on the inner wall of said housing, to roate said housing, and, through said gears, to rotate said blades.

5. In a manually operated clipper of th type in which a plurality of shaft-mounted rotary blades make contact with a stationary blade to perform the cutting operation, means for driving the rotar blades comprising a shaft carrying said rotary blades, a gear on said shaft, a second shaft disposed parallel to the first named shaft and carrying a gear in mesh with the gear on the first named shaft, a hollow housing on said second named shaft, means reciprocating within said housing, cooperating with means on the inner wall of said housing, to rotate said housing, and, through said gears, to rotate said blades, and means for manually operating said reciprocating means.

6. In a manually operated hair clipper having a stationary handle and a movable operating handle and of the type in which a plurality of rotating blades make contact with a stationary blade to perform the cutting operation, means for driving the rotary blades comprising a shaft carrying said rotary blades and a gear, a second shaft disposed parallel to the first named shaft and carrying a hollow housing, a spirally threaded element attached to the operating handle of the clipper and adapted, as said handle is manipulated, to reciprocate within said hollow housing, a pin mounted on the inner surface of the housing, adapted to ride within the groove of said spirally threaded element as the latter is forced through the housing to rotate the housing, and a gear on the shaft on which said housing is mounted, in mesh with said gear on the shaft carrying the rotary blades, whereby as said housing rotates, motion is transmitted to said blades through said gears.

JOSEPH SUOZZI. 

